America gripped by wrestler's murder-suicide case

Since its glory days in the mid 1980s, the lycra-clad, theatrical world of professional wrestling has had its ups and downs on TV, but the macabre
death of one of its favourite characters and his family has put the sport back in the headlines.

America gripped by wrestler's murder-suicide case

Since its glory days in the mid 1980s, the lycra-clad, theatrical world of professional wrestling has had its ups and downs on TV, but the macabre
death of one of its favourite characters and his family has put the sport back in the headlines.

Since its glory days in the mid 1980s, the lycra-clad, theatrical world of professional wrestling has had its ups and downs on TV, but the macabre death of one of its favourite characters and his family has put the sport back in the headlines.

The wrestler Chris Benoit, known as the Canadian Crippler, was found dead at his home on Monday, along with his wife and seven-year-old son.

Chris Benoit. Photograph: John Giamundo/WWE/AP

Police believe Benoit, 40, strangled his wife, Nancy, 43, and suffocated his son, Daniel, with a choke hold before hanging himself in his weight room, at his mansion in Fayetteville, Georgia.

One especially curious detail in the investigation is that pathologists estimate Nancy Benoit was killed hours before her son, and that Benoit hanged himself several hours after that; meaning the wrestler was in his home with their bodies for some time.

"While we don't have that nailed down completely," said Scott Ballard, the Fayette County district attorney, "it would appear that some period of time elapsed between the death of the two victims and the suicide, and it struck me as somewhat bizarre that perhaps he would even be in the home with their deceased bodies."

Detectives admit they are mystified to any motive behind the killings and the wrestler's suicide. Speculation has been mounting as to whether this was a case of "roid rage" after anabolic steroids were found in the home.

But World Wrestling Entertainment rejected those suggestions, and said evidence gathered in the investigation indicates "deliberation, not rage". A view endorsed by most medical experts, who say violence through steroid abuse usually manifests itself through brutal beatings.

The WWE (formerly WWF) website carried a statement over the Benoit deaths, it said:

"The wife's feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage."

Investigators found the bodies of Nancy and Daniel Benoit with Bibles placed next to them too. "The presence of a Bible by each is also not an act of rage," said the WWE.

The sorry tale began after Benoit contacted WWE staff to inform them that his wife and child were ill, and that he would not be able to attend a show on Saturday evening.

A series of increasingly bizarre voice and text messages from Benoit to his coworkers later that night led bosses to call the police, suspecting something was wrong.

Instead of its usual programming on Monday night on the USA Network, WWE aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit. A decision criticised by many and leading to its chairman making an apology yesterday.

Benoit, a Canadian, lived in Atlanta for over 20 years. His wife managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name, Woman, the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionreported.

Whatever else is to come from this grim story, wrestling fans are united in their praise of Benoit as a performer and will no doubt be glued to this unfolding drama.